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A few months ago, a casual office conversation about fish soup prompted our ex-intern, Zhen Wei, to share his secret makan spot in Singapore. “I really like this fish soup stall near my church that serves salmon,” he said. “Huh? Salmon? In fish soup? Please bring us!” I exclaimed. True to our word, we reunited after his internship to finally track down the elusive Mei Fa Fish Porridge Soup at 29 Eunos Avenue 6.
A short walk from Paya Lebar MRT station, the stall is located at an industrial kopitiam just diagonally behind SingPost Centre. We arrived at 10am and the coffee shop was barely occupied, mainly patronised by retirees having their morning chatter and sipping cups of kopi c siew dai.
Initially, ordering from the 69-year-old duo, Mr Phua and his wife, felt a bit intimidating. They looked stern. But after finishing our meal and striking up a conversation with them, we realised the complete opposite — they were incredibly kind. They cracked me up when I caught sight of sweet Mr Phua trying to hold Mdm Phua’s hand while posing for the photo. “Aiyoh! Don’t want la, hold hands?! So embarrassing!” Madam Phua blushed and giggled; aren’t they the cutest couple?
Learning they’d been running the stall for 40 years left us stunned. “This kopitiam‘s lease ends in 2 years, and we’ll retire afterward,” they shared. “Noooooo!” Zhen Wei said. You can imagine how devastated he was.
When I asked Madam Phua why she decided to use salmon as one of her options, she simply replied, “Why not? Haha. I just wanted to give it a try.” In Singapore, it’s rare to find fish soup stalls using this fish. A simple Google search revealed that besides Mei Fa Fish Porridge Soup, only Halim’s Fish Soup serves something similar.
What to order at Mei Fa Fish Porridge Soup
Naturally, we had to try the Salmon Fish Soup (S$5) first. It featured salmon slices and Chinese lettuce in a clear, light brown broth.
The salmon was soft and tender, tasting like your typical cooked rendition. The soup was naturally sweet, clean tasting and had multiple depths of flavour. Madam Phua shared that white carrot goes into the soup to make it extra sweet.
For maximum shiok-ness, I crowned the salmon with garlic, dark soy, and sliced chilli. I usually use this hack with pork ribs in bak kut teh, but on salmon? That was a total unexpected discovery!
We then moved on to the Fried Fish Soup (S$4.50) with a bowl of Rice (S$0.50), accompanied by clusters of egg floss and Chinese Lettuce.
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The pieces of fried fish were perfectly cooked, soaking in the soup for a semi-crispy, semi-soft texture bursting with flavour. The fried egg floss was the piece de résistance, adding extra richness and lusciousness. As sinful as it is, I wish every fish soup stall went the extra mile like this. While it shares the same base as the Salmon Fish Soup, I found the sweetness here to be more subtle, lacking the pronounced depth of the bowl we’d enjoyed previously.
Our final dish was the Fish Porridge (S$4). Unlike creamy Cantonese-style congee, this Teochew-style version kept the rice grains intact and came with boiled fish slices and Chinese lettuce.
It was clean and simple, but the plainest of the 3 dishes — perfect if you wanted something light or weren’t in the mood for something heavy. This style is similar to rice in a broth.
Who Mei Fa Fish Porridge Soup is best for
It’s perfect for those who are looking for something healthier for lunch. If you’re curious about how salmon would be like in fish soup, then this is the ideal place to give it a try. If you favour fried over boiled fish soup, the Fried Fish Soup will totally be up your alley.
How to get there?
Paya Lebar MRT Station (CC9/EW8) is the closest to Mei Fa Fish Porridge Soup. Head towards exit C and walk for approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
Do we recommend Mei Fa Fish Porridge Soup?
Yes we do! Mei Fa Fish Porridge Soup is great for those that enjoy clean-tasting fish soup with a flavourful broth. Great for those that are sick of batang fish and would like to try something new. Since the couple will be retiring in about 2 years, let’s give them our full support.
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